The trifectas usually pay more than the pools at the dog track. So why would I want to bet pools, you ask? Why would anyone want to play them when they could win so much more with a trifecta bet?
Well, for that matter, Superfectas, Pick-Sixes and other exotic bets pay more than trifectas, so why not everyone plays them instead of trifectas? You probably already know the reason, although he may not have fully thought the whole thing through yet.
You can play a three-dog pool box for $6 and if you hit, you take it all. A trifecta box of three dogs will cost you the same, $6, but if you’re right, you only get half. Your chances of hitting a pool with three dogs are much better than your chances of hitting a trifecta with three dogs.
A pool, as you probably know, is the dog that finishes first with the dog that finishes second. Unlike exacta, where you have to pick the dogs in the exact order of finishing, with a pool, you can have the dogs in any order. As long as you have the first two dogs to cross the finish line, you win.
How much does the average pool pay? Well, that depends on the removal of the track, the odds of the two dogs, and the order in which they finish. But at most tracks, the average pool pays between $12 and $24. From time to time, there are much larger and much smaller pools, but that’s the average payout.
Obviously, to win money from the pools, you have to hit enough to pay off your $6 box bet with enough winnings to cover the races you bet on but miss the pool. This is not as difficult as you think it is.
If you’re pretty good at greyhound handicap, you should be able to pick a pool often enough to stay ahead of the game on your favorite track. The trick with betting pools is to pick them often enough that your winnings cover your losses. It’s as simple as that.
If you want to get better at greyhound handicap, read all you can about it, watch races and replays, and practice handicap by making ‘paper bets’. Greyhound programs are free on the web at Trackinfo and you can find my books on Amazon and CreateSpace.